Heat-insulated sprinkler-head.



ALBERT JOHN LOEPSINGR, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL FIRE EXTINGUISHER COMPANY, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORA- TION OF NEW YORK.

HEAT-INSLATED SPRINKLER-HEAD.

ing pipes by being included in a hot-water circullatlng system, 1t has been the practice heretofore to employ sprinkler heads of the ordinary type and to interpose between each head and the pipe which carries it some form of heat-insulating device which w1ll prevent the head from being caused to ope-n by heat emanating from the water circulating in the pipe. The principal object of the present invention is to provide an automatic sprinkler head which will contain within its own structure an effective arrangement for heatinsulating the fusible member which controls the opening of the head, so that the head may be safely attached directly to the hot-water circulating pipe and the necessity for employing and installing van additional heat-insulating device for the head may be avoided. Further objects of my invention are to provide a sprinkler head with heatinsulating means without increasing the height of the head to such an extent as to prevent 'its installation within the space which is practically available therefor between the pipes and the ceiling from which they are suspended, and also to construct the sprinkler head in such manner that sprinkler-head parts of the standard types heretofore employed may be utilized therein without change.

A sprinkler head embodying my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing my preferred construction of the parts;

2 shows the fusible strut member and the heat-insulating parts as viewed from the right-hand side of Fig. 1, the strut being shown in vertical section; and s Fig. 3 is a plan view of a detail hereinafter described. The sprinkler head illustrated in Fig. 1

Specification of Letters Patent.

)Patented Oct. 15, 1918.

Application led January 25, 1915. Serial No. 4,093.

comprises a hollow base portion 2 having a threaded lower end, a frame 3 screwed into the top of the base portion, a flexible valve y seat 4 clamped between the base portion 2 and the bottom of the frame 3, a valve 5 normally resting on the top of the valve seat and closing the opening therein, a strut 6 having its parts held together by fusible solder, a deflector 7 surmounting the frame 3, and aheaded stud 8 screwed into the top of the frame and clamping thev deiiector thereto. All the parts above mentioned are or may be identical with the corresponding parts heretofore employed in various wellknown types of approved sprinkler heads, except that in the present case-.the frame 3 is made long enough to receive not only the strut 6 but also the heat-insulating devices hereinafter described, which are interposed between the ends of said strut and the valve 5 and'stud 8, respectively.

The heat-insulating devices above referred to comprise, in the construction illustrated, two small bulbs 9 and 10, which are preferably lnade of glass and are sealed after havingl been practically exhausted of air, so that a substantial vacuum is maintained therein. One of these bulbs, shown at 9, is seated at its top and bottom in cup-shaped members 11 and 12, of which the upper member 11 is provided at its top with a shallow recess in which is located the lower end of the stud 8, while the lower member 12 is provided on its under side with al transverse flange 13 which enters the groove customarily formed in the upper end of the strut 6 and serving in an ordinary sprinkler head to receive the ribbed lower end of the stud at the top of the frame. In a similar manner the lower bulb 10 is seated at its top and bottom in cup-shaped members 14 and 15, of which the upper member 14 is shown as having a dished top surface with opposed notches 16 at the sides of the same to receive and position the lower end of the strut 6, while the lower member 15 is provided at its bottom with a downwardly-curving annular flange 17 adapted to rece-ive the top of the valve 5 and position itself thereon, with the central flat portion of the member 15 bearing firmly on the fiat upper surface of the valve. The cup-shaped members above. referred to are held in fixed position with respect to the intervening bulbs The parts above described are assembled by clamping the valve seat 4 in place and positioning the Valve 5 thereon, then locating between the valveand stud 8 the strut 6 and the heat-insulating devices engaging its ends, and then screwing down said stud until it is seated in the recess in thel top of the cup-shaped member 11 and a sufficient pressure is applied to the valve 5 to flex its seat somewhat, whereupon the top of the stud 8 is expanded and headed over upon the deflector 7 in the usual manner. The parts located between said stud and valve thus form a sort of compound strut which holds the valve toits seat under normal conditions. l

As thus constructed, the sprinkler head may be attached directly to a hot-water circulating pipe without danger of being caused to open by the transmission of heat from the pipe tb the strut 6, since said strut is incontact with other parts at its ends only, and these are effectively heat-insulated by the vacuum bulbs 9 and l0. In case of fire. however, the head will open in the usual way, the endwise pressure on the strut 6 causing its parts to separate when released by tilting on the cup-shaped members at the upper and lower ends of the strut, whereupon the chain of parts located between the valve 5 andstud 8 will collapse.

The heat-insulating devices above described are of simple and inexpensive construction, and can also bemade of such small size, without becoming ineffective for their intended purpose, that the total height of the head will not be greatly increased over the height of an ordinary sprinkler head, so that sufficient space for the installation of my sprinkler head c an be readily provided without lowering the pipes to an undesirable extent. It will be understood that the details of construction of these devices may be modified in various ways without departing from my invention, and that the other parts contained in the sprinkler head may be of any usual or suitable construction.

I claim: l

1. In an automatic sprinkler, the combination of a base having an inlet passage, a valve normally closing said passage, a frame carried by the base, and a compound strut interposed between the valve and the outer end of the frame and comprising a fusible vmember, vacuum bulbs located in line with the fusible member at opposite ends of the latter, and positioning devices located between said bulbs and the frame and valve, respectively, and between said bulbs and the ends of the fusible member, whereby the elements of the strut are normally held in alinement with one another.

2'. In an automatic sprinkler, the combination of a base having an inlet passage, a

valve normally closing said passage, a frame able engagement with said frame and valvel and for unstable and detachable engagement with the fusible member.`

3. In an automatic sprinkler, the combination of a base having an inlet passage, a valve normally closing said passage, a frame carried by the base, and a compound strut interposed between the valve andthe outer end of the frame and comprising a fusible member, a pair of vacuum bulbs located at opposite ends of the fusible member in line with the latter, positioning devices each provided on one side with a cup-shaped recess in which the adjacent bulb is seated and on the other side with means for detachably engaging and positioning the corresponding end of the fusible member, and other positioning devices shaped for detachable engagement with the frame and valve respectively and having cup-shaped recesses in which the corresponding bulbs are seated.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my namethis 14th day of January, 1915.

ALBERT JOHN LOEPSINGER. Witnesses:

VVILBUR F. SMITH, OSCAR E. Lmwis. 

